30 Seconds To Game Over
by Umi Frostfurr
Summary: Leigh has read books and seen movies about people unfortunate enough to get sucked into a fantasy world. She didn't think it could happen to her...
1. Preface

Hi everyone!! This is my very first DW Fanfic!! WOOT WOOT! XD So be nice to me. Please. Por Favor. Onegai. S'il vous plait.

A little more on this story. The main character is based off of me. Yes, me. Because I am so in love with DW. I love the men. And I must warn you, I get into some sticky situations in this story. You will LOVE them. And if you don't, well I know I WILL. XD Oh but my family is nothing like the main characters. I don't want anyone think ing I'm this abused little girl. No, sorry to disappoint you all. I have a very loving family. Anywho, on with the story! I hope you all enjoy it! Please leave me reviews. Umi love reviews very much. Thank you! Gracias! Arigatou! Merci!

* * *

**30 Seconds To Game Over**

_ Preface _

Have you ever dreamt that you were a character in a story? Like, let's say, your favorite game or book. Your this powerful warrior, or a sorcerer with unlimited magickal powers and it's up to you to save the world from ultimate destruction. You kick serious tail and end up achieving some big prize at the end of your dangerous quest. But then, as your kissing babies and soaking in all the glory, you wake up and find that it was all just an illusion created by your mind to help pass the night away. None of it was real. None of it actually happened. Your safe in your bed, back in reality.

I sure wish that was the case for me.


	2. Chapter One

**30 Seconds To Game Over**

_Chapter One_

When I bought Dynasty Warriors 5 I wasn't worried about being sucked into the game with no way back out. Frankly, I didn't think anything like that was possible. All I could think about was how much fun it was going to be to actually kick my brother's ass at something. Oh, and I couldn't wait to see how gorgeous the male characters were. What can I say? I'm a sucker for fictional men. Can't seem to find the perfect guy in my own world, so why not fantasize about one in another world? Even if it is fictional. Well, kind of. The characters were alive once, if I'm not mistaken. But oh well, something is better than nothing, right? Anywho, back to my story. Where was I? Oh yes. I bought DW. I was happy. No, wrong word. I was FLIPPING OUT MY FRIGGIN' MIND. More than one word, but who needs to get into technicalities? I couldn't wait to get home and start playing.

I should've waited. I should've waited. I should've waited...

But no. When my mind is set on something, it's SET. No changing, no re-routing. It is STABLE.

So, I get home. No one's there. Go figure. Due to all of the excitement I had forgotten that my brother had soccer practice after school on Thursdays. And naturally my mother would be there, cheering for him on the side lines. You never spotted her at one of my art shows, smiling at me because of the praise my newest painting was getting. Nope. She'd rather be indulging my sports star brother, shoving anything and everything he wants into his smug little face. Do I get spoiled beyond repair? Nooooooooo. I get hand-me-downs from the next door neighbor's daughter who's off in Alaska somewhere, trying to find a way to stop global warming. Oh, and get this. My mom can't stop talking about her. "_Oh, Regina is soooooooooo accomplished. She's such an intelligent girl. She'll make a lucky man very happy one day! Leigh, why can't you be influenced by a girl with such high standings? This art phase will get you nowhere. No a doctor! That is a profession to be proud of!"_

Somebody shoot me now. Please. Don't make me suffer any longer. I'm begging you.

So, I'm home alone. That's been established quite thoroughly, if I'm not mistaken. Not one to wait patiently for others, I drop my bag at the door and bolt to the living room. As I set up the game, I randomly think about running to the kitchen to get a snack. I could be in for a long night, especially when my brother gets home and sees my new toy. He won't want to quit until he's won, and believe me, hell will freeze over before _that _happens. However, all previous thoughts are erased from my mind as the opening credits come onto the television screen. Coooooooooool... There's Zhao Yun in all his sexy glory, kicking ass with his big ass spear. Wow, that's a lot of people. Now do you question my love for these men? Hot _and _brave. It can't get any better than that. As I'm musing over how awesome this game is (and I haven't even _played _it yet) the screen suddenly flickers. I blink, startled out of my trance. The Tv starts to get fuzzy, the LOUD kind. I hit the side of it, hoping to knock something back into place. The screen goes black.

Stage one of Panic Mode has now commenced.

But before I have a chance to properly start panicking, the screen comes back to life. A smile starts to form on my face. A grateful, thankful smile, for fate truly loves upon me.

Yeah. Right.

If I had the blessing of some higher power, the game would have continued where it had left off. Or better yet, the screen wouldn't have had total mood swing and almost sent me into shock. Instead of resuming normality, it decides to continue with the strangeness. I'm not fond of strangeness. Not now anyway. On the screen now is the same dusty wasteland that Zhao Yun had been previously kicking ass on. However, no longer is the hot warrior on the screen. It's just a wasteland. Wasteful. Empty.

Until Zou Ci walks onto the screen. I know who he is, thanks to my good friend the internet. Otherwise, I would be wondering why in the hell some old guy in a dress and some funky hat that is way too large for his head has just randomly walked into a desert wasteland in a game full of amour clad men and enviously beautiful women warriors. He just stands there, shuffling a deck of cards. He does this for quite some time, until I get bored and jam my finger down on the start button. This is wasting my time. I. Want. To. Kick. Some. Butt.

Nothing happens.

Now thoroughly confused, I press the button again. Still nothing. I press it again. And again. And again.

"That doesn't seem to be working very well."

Slowly, ever so slowly, I lift my head to look at the screen. Zou Ci has moved closer to the camera (where it would be if he was an actor in a movie) and is looking _straight at me._ I blink. I'm not quite sure what is going on and it hasn't really registered in my little mind yet that a_ character in a game is talking to me._ Blink.

"Uh..." I so intelligently say.

He smiles. It's creepy. I back away. Very slowly.

"I don't think so, my dear. You have a destiny to fulfill."

Panic Mode: re-established.

Before I can so much as open my mouth to argue (with a _game_, I know, it's sad) the world starts to spin wildly out of control. And I've never liked spinney rides at amusment parks and what not, for the simple reason that they make me faint. Don't know why. They just do. And guess what happens next? Damn your good.

* * *

Chapter One: Completed! So whatcha think so far? Like? Then review. Yes, I'm talking to you. If you don't review Umi will cry BIG GLOPING TEARS. And then sick Zou Ci on you. Look out. He'll give you a paper cut. XD 


	3. Chapter Two

Hello, everyone! Umi here, reporting for the **GRAND OPENING** of _CHAPTER TWO_! I think that you all will enjoy this chapter. I enjoyed writing it very much. We get to see what happens to our heroine (I really think they should have picked a better name for female heroes. They make us sound like a firggin' drug) when she awakens in...DUN DUN DUN! Another WORLD! Sorry. Extremely hyper at the moment. Don't you just love good moods? They make the world a much better place. Anywho, TALLEHO! On with the fic!

* * *

**30 Seconds To Game Over**

_Chapter Two_

You know how in movies when the actor or actress is just waking up, they blink their eyes a couple times and then their fine? Psh. I learned the hard way that it takes a little longer than five seconds for your eyes to adjust to a bright light after being shut for what feels like friggin' eternity. I thought my eyes were going to dry out of their sockets, they burned so badly. Once they were adjusted, I quickly wished they had. Looming overhead was a group of red clad men, all pointing various sharp objects in my face.

I just about wet my pants.

Just about.

As I lay there, completely and utterly afraid that one of them would say "Aw, fuck it." and kill me then, instead of silently standing like a statue over me, I thought back on my life. Had I accomplished what any seventeen year old should hope to accomplish in their short life? Had I made enough of an influence upon my family and friends to be remembered for years to come? So that my death would not be taken lightly, and I would be terribly missed to the point that my own mother would commit suicide because she had lost me?

Dear God, let heaven have chocolate. Amen.

"At ease, men."

I tilted my head to the side slightly to see who had spoken up. Big. Mistake. Spears and other such things were instantly pressed against my skull and neck, making the task of inhaling oxygen very hard to fulfill.

"I said _at ease_," the voice said again, a tad more sternly this time. It was a man's voice, but it wasn't all deep and hard, like Gan Ning's voice in DW. It sounded more like...

"Lord Xun, this is the girl I told you about. Sir, she just dropped out of the sky!"

Lu Xun. But wait, this guy couldn't be Lu Xun. Lu Xun was a Chinese general way, way, WAY back in time, and is now currently a character in a game. Meaning he is no longer real. He's a fictional character just like Gan Ning and Zhao Yun and Zuo Ci and -

Oh. Crap.

Instantly, everything came tumbling through my mind at once and faster than you can say supercalafragalisticexpialadocious. Zuo Ci had spoken to me. _Through the Tv._ And then proceeded to spin my living room around like a freakin' merry-go-round and cause me to black out. Not an everyday thing, mind you. I really don't make it a habit to let fictional people jolt me out of my world and into theirs.

As I was gathering my thoughts and trying not to freak out because I was currently inside of a _game_, unbeknownst to me Lu Xun had called of the Scary Men With Sharp Items and kneeled over me, his face now about a foot above mine. Once I realized this all current thoughts were instantaneously swept from my brain and immediately replaced with thoughts of how gorgeous this man was. He looked exactly like the picture in the little handbook that comes with the game. And I would know. I've gazed at that picture many times. He had the same sandy brown hair that fell oh so elegantly into his face. The same deep, kind brown eyes set in the same handsome, kind face. And his skin was slightly tanned from being out in the sun. He was perfect. He even smiled.

"Hello there. Do not be frightened, we mean you no harm."

I would have liked to believe him, but the Scary Men With Sharp Items were still rigid as a rock and glaring in my general direction. Xun saw me glance warily at them and sighed. Mind you, I was still on the ground and was content on staying there if it meant not getting chopped into pieces, however I could hardly refuse when the young general held out his hand for me to take.

"You'll have to forgive them. Their just doing their job," he said, smiling kindly at me. "My name is Lu Xun. And what may yours be, Miss?"

"L-Leigh," I choked, coughing a little due to the dryness of my throat. Being scared half to death can take it out of you.

"If you would be so kind as to tell me, what are you doing here, Lady Leigh?"

"Um, well, that's the thing. I don't know where _here _is." They'd all kill me on the spot if I tried to dish them my story, so I decided to play it cool. And besides, he called me "Lady." I was in Instant Infatuation Mode now.

"Your in the Kingdom of Wu," Xun informed me kindly, gesturing towards the luscious green fields around us. He turned his attention back on me, giving my attire a skeptical look. "And where are you from, Lady Leigh? Your clothing is very... peculiar."

Crap. I looked down at what I was wearing. Seeing as I had just gotten home from school (and been in a rush to play a certain game that I was beginning to truly despise), I still had on the blasted uniform. An overly large tan sweater ( they don't make them in extra small. I guess they don't expect high school girls to be that small, but think again clothing manufacturers! I am!), a white button down shirt under that, tucked into a brown and red plaid skirt. Then I had tan knee high socks and black dress shoes, scuffed around the edges from where I mysteriously fell from the heavens. Needless to say, this wasn't normal ancient Chinese attire. And I very well couldn't _lie_ to the man about where I'm from. Y'know, him being _from _this world and all, and me knowing absolutely _nothing _about it. I quickly tried to scramble my thoughts into a believable answer. Apparently as I was doing this I developed a very confused look on my face, for Xun gave me a concerned gaze.

"Do you not remember where your home is, my lady?"

CHA-CHING! I don't know why I hadn't thought of that before! Play _DUMB_. According to my brother I'm very good at that...

"Um...no," I said quietly, adding a defeated look for effect.

Xun's gaze softened as he said, "The fall must have jolted your memory around. Which brings me to my next question..." he mumbled, his gaze turning contemplative.

I turned my eyes towards his face, brow furrowed, my face complete innocence.

"Sir," one of the Scary Men With Sharp Items said gruffly. "This could be a trap. She could be a spy from one of the enemy kingdoms."

Lu Xun cocked his head to the side, still gazing at me, trying to decide what to do with the mysterious girl who had fallen from the sky.

"No.." he said after a while. He held out his hand for me to take, which I hesitantly did. He is gorgeous and seems kind, but that doesn't mean I trust him fully. I mean, this is another world and all. "I don't think she's a spy. I think she's telling us the truth. Saddle up, men. Let's head home."

He smiled at me, and then led me over to a herd of horses that were grazing nearby. We stopped at a beautiful white one and Xun gently lifted me into the saddle. I had a mad blush on my face when he climbed up and sat behind me. He took the reins, careful not to touch me.

"Hang on to the saddle, my lady," he said softly. I did as I was told and off we went.

* * *

While playing previous DW games, I never really imagined what each kingdom's homeland might look like. I mean, there are levels in the games where you have to protect the kingdom's main fortress and whatnot, but they all basically resemble one another. None really have any distinct qualities that set each apart. Just a big castle with little tents and huts inside of it. So when I spotted an extremely large, building like shape in the distance I thought nothing of it. I really didn't think that was our destination.

Of course, I've never been the brightest apple in the bunch. According to my brother, naturally.

Wu was humongous. And it wasn't just one building. Nooooooooooo. That huge mass of stone was the Emperor's castle. _Surrounding _it were other elaborate buildings where (as Xun so kindly informed me as we were riding through the massive stone wall that surrounded the whole of the Wu Kingdom) the Emperor's generals were housed. Then there were slightly smaller buildings where the officers slept and trained. And then stables. And storage houses. And there were little shops and stands all along the dirt streets. The rest of the land was taken up with peasant homes and rice fields. There was one main road, made of red brick, that ran from the front gate all the way to the bottom steps of the castle. This is the road that our party was currently riding on. As we through the city, people came out of their homes cheering and waving. I turned slightly to look at Xun, a questioning look on my face.

"Their welcoming us home from battle," he explained, waving and smiling back at them.

"You were in a battle?"

"Very recently, yes. We were on our way home when you all of a sudden fell from the heavens and onto my officer in command. Or so I've been told." He smiled down at me, reigniting my blush from earlier.

It took quite sometime to reach the castle, as everyone (and I do mean _everyone_) in the city had turned out to welcome back the warriors. When we finally did make it to the castle Xun led the group over to a small building set off to the side. This was, apparently, the royal stables. And they were royally _stinky_, I might add. Xun jumped down first and then held out his arms for me to cling to. Which I did. Getting on the horse is much easier than getting off of it. I ended up slipping off of the saddle ever so gracefully and straight into Xun's outstretched arms, clinging to him with all the strength I had in me (which isn't very much, I'm embarrassed to say). He chuckled slightly, the sound rumbling through his chest, which my ear was currently pressed against. I lifted me head to look up at him.

And realized that he's much, much taller than I am. At least a good foot or so.

Once again, the bloody blushing starts up. I quickly remove my arms from around him, clearing my throat and straightening my sweater. Y'know, the usual awkward routines. I notice that the horse have been led away and shyly look back at Lu Xun.

"This way, my lady," he says, motioning for me to follow him. "We have to report to the Emperor."

I stop.

"T-The **_EMPEROR?_**"

* * *

OOOoooooo! Bum bum! Leigh has to meet the Emperor! In all her strange clothed glory! I wonder how that will turn out? You'll have to wait and see, next time in **30 Seconds To Game Over**_ - Chapter Three_! R&R, please! Lots of love, Umi-chan


	4. Chapter Three

Whew! I worked my butt off to get this chapter posted as quickly as possible. It's a bit longer and not so humorous as my previous ones, but still has some pizzaz and laughs to it. This is mainly an explaining chapter - you know, have to describe Wu! Anywho, I hope you all enjoy it and I will try to get the next chapter posted as soon as possible. It might take some time though. I have some drawings I need to get done for school. Enjoy!

Umi

* * *

**30 Seconds To Game Over**

_Chapter Three_

To be honest, I really wasn't that enthused about meeting the emperor. On the contrary, I WAS SCARED OUT OF MY FRIGGIN' MIND. I had a pretty good feeling about who the Emperor of Wu was, and it really wasn't helping my mood. What if this guy believed the Scary Men With Sharp Items instead of Lu Xun? What was I going to do then? I've done my history homework and believe me, being blamed as a spy in a court full of tough guy soldiers **_NEVER _**turns out well in the end for the accused. So as our group was walking through the palace's beautiful garden walk ways, into the gorgeous, elaborately golden halls, all the way to the gigantic red oak door leading into the Throne Room, my mind was doing jumping jacks in my head. With each jump a new escape plan formed. With each landing an echoing pound resounded. Oh, did I mention I was a little on the nervous side?

When we stopped outside the door to the Throne Room, waiting to be announced, I felt a shaking hand on my shoulder. I looked to my left and saw Xun gazing at me with concern.

"Are you alright, my lady? You shaking like a tree in the breeze. I do hope that fall didn't shake you up too badly," he said softly.

Oh. I was the one shaking. Go figure. I mean, look at the day I was having. Can you blame me? I forced a smile and shook my head slightly.

"Yes, my lord, I'm alright. I guess I'm just a little nervous," I mumbled. "It's not everyday you meet royalty."

"Do not worry," he replied, his smile returning to his face as her removed his hand from my shoulder. "My Lord Sun Jian is a kind and generous man. He will not harm you."

Sun Jian. So I was right. Sure, he was one of my favorite characters in the game, but he could also be ruthless (like I said, I've done my history homework. Once you really get into the game you just_ have _to know about the real people). The giant door creaked open painfully slow and we were ushered in by a couple servants (I guess they were servants. But they were dressed much more nicely than most of the servants I've seen in history textbooks. They actually had shoes).

I really wish that door had stayed closed.

The room was _enormous_. The ceiling must have been fifty feet high. The floor was made totally of white marble that shone blindly bright where incoming sun rays from the high arched windows hit it. There was a golden mural the stretched from the door all the way to the throne, depicting a massive tiger leading an army into battle. There were tons of people packed into the room, and some I recognized as characters in DW. The were all standing on red mats and smiling at Lu Xun as he walked by. When they saw me, their smile turned into a look of curiousness. Whispering broke out among the crowd, and I received a few points and stares. I kept my head bowed and walked behind Xun.

"Lord Xun!"

Wow. I must say, Koei can pick the voices. Sun Jian's voice boomed out across the room as we reached him. Lu Xun and the Scary Men With Sharp Items (not to mention all the of the courtiers) all kneeled and bowed low to the emperor, leaving me standing like the idiot that I am. They weren't down there for long because Jian quickly walked down from the raised platform he was on and bid them all to stand. He clasped hands with each warrior and told them they may return home to their loved ones. The Scary Men With Sharp Items thanked him and then left the hall (which I decided what this room was, since it was so friggin' long), to my extreme relief. That was short lived however. As soon as they were gone, Sun Jian turned his gaze on me.

Stage one of Panic Mode now recommencing.

"And who might this be, Xun? Did you finally decide to take a slave? I told you would change your mind one of these days!" he boomed, laughing. The rest of the court laughed with him.

I think Lu Xun and I were the only ones not laughing. I was very glad to see that he wasn't laughing. Because if he had started laughing along with the rest of the court I think I might of done something very drastic. Like maybe have run over to Gan Ning (who was currently grinning like the mad pirate he his), wrestled his sword from him (which probably wouldn't work anyways) and gone on a mad-crazy-killing-spree.

SUN JIAN THOUGHT I WAS LU XUN'S **_SLAVE_**!

Instead of feeling scared beyond my imagination that I might in fact be made into a slave, I became very angry. I had not wasted almost a dozen years in the prison our government called school to be made into some ancient Chinese general's _worker girl_.

Bite me, Sun Jian.

However, before I could retaliate and begin biting off the emperor's oversized head, Lu Xun intervened.

"My lord, I have not taken this girl as my slave," he said, somewhat crossly in my opinion. Sun Jian looked from my angry face to Xun's blank one.

"Then, she is your wife?"

Somebody shoot me. I don't care if it's with a gun or some ancient crossbow, just get it over with.

"My lord, the soldiers found this girl just outside the Wu territory. She was unconscious. I couldn't very well leave her out there, so we brought her back with us. She means us no harm, my lord," he added quickly, seeing the alarmed look that flashed onto Jian's face. "She doesn't remember where her home is. Just her name."

Sun Jian looked at me, his expression still stern. "And how do we know that this girl is telling us the truth, Lord Xun? She could be a spy, as you very well know." He turned to Xun again.

The court was dead silent as Xun answered. "Because I trust her my lord."

This surprised me quite a bit. Xun had just met me not even an hour ago, and he was telling his emperor that he _trusted _me? I didn't even trust myself! This was apparently a good enough answer for Jian, for he laughed loudly again, easing the tension in the room by a mile.

"Well, my friend, your judgement has never been wrong. If you trust this girl, then all is well with her. Though I must say, her clothes are some of the strangest I have ever seen..."

Once again, attention was focused on the weirdo girl with the weirdo clothes. Not only had I fallen from the sky (which Xun so conveniently forgot to mention to Sun Jian...), but I was also wearing attire that wouldn't be invented for another million years or so. Give or take.

"I shall take of her wardrobe."

I turned around at the sound of the female voice and my mouth nearly dropped open. Da Qiao was standing in the crowd of kneeling courtiers. She was dressed in a long golden yellow robe, trimmed in ruby red, with her long black hair pulled back into an elaborate style that must haven taken _forever _to do. She had earrings that reached to her shoulders, and flowers and beads were entwined in her hair.

I was getting a wardrobe from _her_?

She made her way out of the crowd and walked gracefully toward the platform. Sun Jian smiled fondly at her.

"Ah, dear daughter. How gracious of you to offer your services. I thank you kindly," he said kissing her on both her cheeks. He turned towards his audience and opened his arms wide, as if to embrace them. "Tonight, we feast! In honor of the safe return of our brave warriors!"

Cheering erupted from the court. Da Qiao slipped her arm through mine and gently led me away from the commotion. I looked back at Lu Xun, worry written all over my face. But he merely smiled encouragingly at me and nodded for me to go on. I really didn't want to leave his side. For some reason, I felt compelled to cling to him again. The noise from the hall soon died down as Da led me to her living quarters. The hallway was brightly lit with many candles along the walls and the floor here was of very dark wood that was so shiny I could see my reflection in it as clearly as if it were a mirror. Da didn't say anything as we walked on. She just hummed pleasantly to herself until we reached our destination.

"Here we are," she said softly, nodding to a young boy who was sitting on the ground. He quickly jumped to his feet and opened the door for us to enter.

Only one word can sum up the awe I felt when I saw Da Qiao's room (or should I say rooms? For there was much more than just _one_). And that word would be "**_WOW_**."

Talk about living like a princess. This girl had to be the Paris Hilton of Ancient China! She even had a little dog lying on her bed, who immediately began wagging its tail when we entered. Well, when Da entered. It growled when it saw me, the little...

The first room in Da's quarters was a sitting room, with deep red couches and poufs all over the place. There was a large fireplace in the corner, unlit because of the warm summer air. The adjacent room was Da's bedroom, which consisted of a very large, dark wooden canopy bed (no roll out mats for this Wu general!) with sheets and blankets that were all different shades of pink (I was literally blinded by the sheer girlyness of it all...). She had a sheer white curtain around her bed that was pulled back to the sides all fancy like. Their was a deep red rug on the floor and a vanity and chair a little ways to the side. The last room was a bathroom, but much more elaborate than any I had ever seen. She had her own hot spring in there! A gigantic marble tub sat in the middle of the room, with stairs leading into it like a pool. The was a curtained area where I guessed the toilet was and then a marble counter and sink near it.

Like I said. Paris friggin' Hilton. Just not so "I've got money and you don't."

Da led through the sitting room and into her bedroom, where she then proceeded to make her way to a door near her bed. It was a closet. A really BIG closet. With A LOT of clothes inside. As she dug through the contents I fidgeted with my skirt nervously. I'd never worn anything really nice before. All I'd ever gotten was hand-me-downs. I didn't know how to treat fine clothing, and knew that within a matter of moments it would be destroyed. Da emerged after a few minutes holding a beautiful pink robe, embroidered with deep red flowers. Only problem: it was _pink_.

"This used to be my sisters, when she was very small. Well, smaller than she is now," she corrected herself, smiling. "It was to be my daughter's when she is born, but you may have it. It should fit your figure nicely."

She handed me the robe and lead me into her bath house (It was far grander than any bathroom, so I felt weird calling it that). She waited for to change outside of the door, but ended up having to come and help me into the garment, to my embarssment. Once it was correctly tied on sashed, she led me to her vanity table and sat me down. My hair was a little dusty from the horse ride, but there wasn't enough time to wash it. So Da merely pulled it back into a simple bun, and placed a beaded pin into it. Then she picked up a jar of kohl.

And I stood.

"My dear, what is the matter?" she asked, giving me a confused look.

"Um...I'm sorry. I appreciate all of this, but I really must draw the line at make-up," I replied, playing with the overly long sleeve of newly acquired robe. "I mean, it's not like I'm pretty anyway, and I don't think that make-up will help me."

Da grabbed my arm, none too gently, and pushed me back down onto the seat.

"I will have none of that, little miss," she said sternly, resuming with the make-up. "You are, without a doubt, a very beautiful lady. And a beautiful lady never goes into public without looking elegant and gracious. Now sit still."

A miserly half an hour later.

Da clicked the top shut on her lest jar of evil face creme and smiled.

"There. You look gorgeous."

I turned to the mirror slowly, ready to see the bride of Frankenstein. I was shocked, however, to find that the girl in the mirror not only did _not _look like a hideous monster but also did not look like me. This girl was actually _attractive_. That must have been Instant Face Creator Creme that Da had used because I had never seen make-up do this for my mother. I had kohl around my eyes, bringing out the the weird hazel color they were. My lips were painted deep red and I had pink eye shadow. I had some blush on as well, turning my cheeks a lovely shade of pink. Before I could come out of my state of awe, someone knocked at the door.

"It's time to go," Da said.

* * *

Urgh. I'm no very happy wih this chapter. I'm going to make the next one more funny. And I have that Dainty Kane song stuck in my head. I like that song, but it's starting to really get on my nerves... "We're in the car... We're all smashed... We're ditsy and we're probably gonna crash..." Not the real words, but who gives flying monkey's arse. Anywho. R&R, please! Love, Umi-Chan 


	5. Chapter Four

Hey guys! Chapter four is now open for reading! I'd like to thank all of my readers. Your reviews really keep me going!

**Richochet, BlueSun91, Adder, Teri, Blaze Shadow, Maidengirl, and XxHikaruxX - - **Thank you all sooooooooooooooooooo much! I shall keep trying to write to your standards and liking and whatnot. I'm so very sorry that this chapter took so long, but like I told many of you I have been busy with school work. College keeps you on your toes, that's for sure! Anywho. Enough of my rambling. On with the story! Enjoy!

* * *

**30 Seconds To Game Over**

_Chapter Four_

"You may enter," Da called out as she walked from her bedroom and into the sitting room.

I chose to stay put, being extremely self-conscious about how I looked. I peeked around the tapestry hanging in the doorway and saw Lu Xun enter with another Wu general who I recognized immediately. Sun Ce smiled at his wife and kissed her outstretched hand. The men were both dressed very handsomely in dark red outfits. Ce's garment had a giant golden tiger on his right sleeve and gold trimming along the hem of his other sleeve. Xun's had black trimming and a black symbol stitched boldly onto his back. It was really cool looking.

"Are you ready, my dear?" Ce asked, bending down to pet Da's little dog.

"Yes, my lord. We're both -," Da turned around and found that I wasn't behind her. She looked at the door and put her hands on her hips.

I let the tapestry fall back into place and gulped. Not good. Pissing of a warrior is never good. Especially this one. She kicked a fat guy's ass with a giant fan. She was ruthless, when she needed to be. And I had a feeling she was going to be just a tad ruthless with me now.

"Where is Lady Leigh?" I heard Xun ask.

"I'm afraid she is hiding away in my bed chamber," Da responded, sighing quietly.

I heard a deep chuckle that I assumed came from Ce.

"She's a shy one, is she? You'll have to pull this one out of her shell, Xun."

I didn't hear a response from Xun, and became very curious about how he was handling this comment. I lifted the tapestry slightly again and let out a surprised yelp. Da Qiao was standing right on the other side, frowning profusely (but still managing to be beautiful. How she does it is beyond me...). I dropped the cloth and scooted as far away from the door as I could. Da came in and crossed her arms.

"Lady Leigh, I did not spend all this time making you presentable to this court for you to hide away in my bed chamber. Our escorts are here, so do be kind and not make them wait any longer," she said sternly, an evil glint in her eyes that said "Do what I say now or you'll _seriously _regret it."

I gave an exasperated sigh and slouched.

"Alright."

"Stand up straight. Your not a hermit," she said crossly. I grudgingly did as I was told and followed her unwillingly into the next room.

I avoided Xun's steady gaze, instead studying each grain in the wooden floor very closely.

"Well, gentlemen, how does she look?" Da asked happily.

"She looks like a fine lady, my dear," Ce responded politely, fulfilling his duty as the loyal husband.

Xun didn't say anything, which I took as a "Oh my God. What did you do to her?" kind of response. But not in the good way. Oh noooooooo. My brain does not work like that, let me tell you now. It's always the disaster part that overrides everything. The "the world is going to end because this happened" part. I mean, I didn't think I _looked _that bad. Heck, I thought Da had made me look like all those models in the magazines.

"You look very beautiful, Lady Leigh."

The floor suddenly whipped away from my intense stare and Lu Xun's face took it's place. He was gazing at me with a weird look in his eyes. I felt a blush rise to my cheeks for some reason unknown to me and I quickly bowed my head again.

"Thank you, my lord," I said softly, wishing, praying, _begging_, that this god forsaken blush **_would just leave me alone_**.

Five minutes later the four of use were walking through the hallways, making our way to the Dining Hall. Da and Ce were ahead, talking quietly to each other, leaving Xun and I to awkwardly walk beside each other a little ways behind. Neither of us spoke for a while. It was annoying, really. The not talking thing. I didn't like the silence. So, I broke it.

"So, this dinner," I began, mentally bashing myself in the head for starting a conversation so stupidly. "Everyone is going to be their? Everyone important?"

"Yes," Xun said, smiling, but avoiding my gaze. "These types of feasts usually last for quite sometime, for generals and such like to speak a few words to the returned warriors," his eyes flickered to my face in sudden alarm, for a brief moment. "I hope you will be alright, Lady Leigh. I know it has been quite tiring a day for you."

"Oh no! I'm alright! Please don't worry about me. I've been through much worse!" I said hastily. This guy had been through enough hell because of me today. The least I could do was stay out of his way during his welcome home party.

"Much worse?" he asked, his alarmed look fading to a concerned one.

Oh maaaaaaan. Me and my big mouth.

We reached the Dining Hall, before I could amend my stupidity, and were announced as we entered ( though the servant didn't mention me...I don't really blame him, him not knowing my name and all, but he didn't have to give me such a weird look. Little prat). We were greeted with many smiles and were stopped numerous times so that Xun could answer a question for someone. Twenty minutes and five million questions later, we arrived at our table and were seated (on _cushions_! It was a low table with cushions for seats! How the heck I managed to sit that low in that god forsaken, pink monstrosity, I will never know) near where the emperor sat, chatting quietly with a beautiful woman to his right. She had dark brown hair pulled back into many tiny braids and piled elegantly on top of her head. She had on a small amount of make-up, less than me even. She was wearing a long violet robe, embroidered with silver cherry blossom trees, and had shoulder-length silver earrings in her ears.

"Lord Xun, who is that lady the Emperor is talking to?" I asked Xun, leaning close to him so that he could hear me properly through all the noise in the hall.

"That is Lady Sun. The Emperor's wife, and mother to Lady Shang Xiang, Lord Quan, and Lord Ce," Xun replied, smiling at me. "She is a very kind woman. And very intelligent as well. When my Lord Emperor is away at war it is my Lady Sun who runs all of Wu."

I mouthed a "wow" and sat back in my seat, continuing to look around the room. Lu Meng was standing near the door with Gan Ning and Zhou Tai, saying something that had Ning rolling with laughter. Tai looked like he was quite bored by Meng's words. I moved my gaze over to another part of the room where Taishi Ci and Huang Gai were comparing the size of their biceps. It seemed that Gai's was just a _tad_ larger, for he was grinning from ear to ear while Ci looked a little disgruntled. Xiao Qiao had just bounded into the room, dragging an amused looking Zhou Yu by the arm. A man with brown hair pulled into a ponytail walked in behind them and headed over to Lu Meng and the others. I recognized him as Ling Tong (from pictures off of the internet, of course), one of the newest characters in DW. He was quite handsome, I must say. Though he had this constant smug look on his face that annoyed me.

There were many others in the room as well, but I recognized not one of them. I thought I saw a servant who looked oddly like the foot soldiers from the game. You know, the ones that all look identical. But he was moving too quickly through the crowd for me to get a proper look at him. After a while Sun Jian finally stood, causing an automatic silence to befall the room.

"Come my friends!" he boomed in that booming voice of his. "Let us eat and rejoice in the victory that our fellow comrade Lord Xun has won in the name of Wu!"

A loud cheer erupted and many "oufs!" followed as people plopped down on their cushions. Servants walked out of a side door carrying large trays filled with every kind of food you could think of. I'm serious. So that means there were waaaaay too many to name. Be imaginative. I know you can. The feast pretty much flew by. All around me ladies and lords stuffed their faces and talked happily to one another. Me, on the other hand, I wasn't particularly hungry and so fiddled with the hem of my sleeve for most of dinner. My not eating went unnoticed for a little while, but I was kidding myself if I thought I could get away _totally _unscathed.

"Lady Leigh, you haven't touched any of the food," Lu Xun said quietly, giving me that horrible concerned look of his. You know. The one that can make you completely melt into goo because it's just So. Damn. Cute.

"I'm not very hungry," I said shyly, looking down at the sleeve I was currently playing with.

"I really think you should eat, my lady," he continued, and I know for a **fact** that he still had that same look on his face. Without even looking up, I knew. I could _hear _it.

"No, I'm fine really," I insisted, lifting my head to smile at him.

"Listen hear, little lady," came a gruff voice from across the table. I looked over and found Gan Ning leaning onto the table, a giant turkey leg in one hand and a bottle of rice wine in the other. Fabulous. "Listen hear," he repeated again. "This hears a feast. You eat at feasts -" Great logic. I wonder where Professor Booz learned that one. "- And believe you me, little missy, you need to eat. I mean, look at you! Tinnier than that little runt dog of Lady Qiao's!"

"Lord Ning," Xun said sternly, but still managing to be kind at the same time.

"You know what that -hick- damned mut did, Xun?" Ning continued, ignoring Xun's ominous tone. "He chewed through **_ALL _**of my stockings! Even my good pair! And you know how much my feet start to stink if I don't have stockings to wear with my boots."

Oh ew. I so did not need to hear that.

"My lord Ning, there is a lady in your presence. Please collect yourself," Xun said, his tone changing to a more threatening one.

"Hey Ning!"

Xun and I both turned our heads at the sound of the voice and saw Ling Tong a couple seats down. He still had that bloody smug look on his face and he was leaning onto the table in complete leisure.

"What the hell do you want, Tong?" Ning asked, his speech starting to slur slightly as he took another sip from his almost empty bottle.

"Oh nothing," Tong said turning away from us and stuffing his mouth with some white rice.

"Wait a shecond! What makesh you think..." Ning ranted, rising from his seat and heading over to Tong. Tong glanced briefly at us, winked, and focused his attention on the drunken pirate walking towards him.

"I owe Lord Tong a word of thanks after this," Xun said to himself. He turned to me again. "You looked exhausted, my lady."

"Not something I particularly like to hear," I mumbled, stifling a yawn. "However true it might be," I added sheepishly.

Xun smiled. "Forgive me. Allow me to escort you to where you will be staying for the time being. As my apology for being so rude."

"Oh no! This feast is for you! I couldn't make you do that!" I argued, mentally bashing myself in the head once again. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid...

"No, it's quite alright, my lady. We both look like we're not having much of a good time anyway," he replied somberly.

I opened my mouth to argue some more, but did something so unlike me instead. I shut it. Yes, ladies and gentlemen! For once, I chose to keep my mouth shut and do as I was told! Thank you, thank you.

I let Xun help me from my seat and (after many apologies to the emperor and feeding him the excuse about being tired from the long day, true or not, it doesn't really matter) walked slightly behind him as we headed out of the hall. Once in the corridor, Xun began to lead the way to my temporary home.

"Wait!"

We both turned around and saw Xiao Qiao come running out of the Dining Hall. She stopped before us and put her hand to her chest, trying to catch her breath. When she was finally composed enough to speak, she smiled.

"Sis told me that Lady Leigh would need some sleeping garments for the time being, until we retrieve her measurements to have some clothing made for her. So, if it's not too much of a hassle, Lord Xun, I would like to escort her to my rooms and fetch her some clothing," Xiao said, rolling on the balls of her feet the whole time she was speaking.

"Why off course, Lady Qiao," Xun said politely, bowing slightly.

"Oh yay!" Xiao exclaimed, clapping. She grabbed my hand and pulled me in the opposite direction I had been heading before.

Damn that girl can run.

It took all I had to not trip and fall flat on my face. This is why I hate gym. Never can stay on my feet. I managed to hold my own until we arrived at Xiao's room. She ran inside, dropping my hand at the door. I heard quiet chuckling from down the hall, and saw Lu Xun walking leisurely towards me.

"I'm sorry about that, my lady," he whispered to me when he had arrived. "Lady Qiao can be a bit...eccentric at times. I really cannot fathom how Lord Yu tolerates her at times." He smiled, his eyes dancing with laughter.

"Ah ha!"

I turned to look back into the room and was immediately surprised by what I saw. Not even five minutes earlier that room had been spotless, beautiful. Now, however, there were clothes and blankets strewn every which way. It looked like a giant gust of wind had blown through it. I randomly thought abou Xiao Qiao's musou in the game...and tried to hold in my laughter.

"Here you are!" Xiao said, handing me a pile of clothes. "That should be enough to last you a couple days. At least until we have some garments made for yourself. You're a little smaller than me, so they might be a little big on you, but it's the best we can do right now.

"Thank you very much," I said, hugging the clothes to me to try and keep them from toppling to the ground.

"It's no problem! I was planning on scraping them later on anyway. I mean, their to small for me now," Xiao rambled on.

"Thank you for you kindness, my lady. I think I should be getting Lady Leigh to bed now," Xun said, interupting Xiao's rantings.

"Oh, of course! Good night, Lord Xun! Lady Leigh! It was so very nice to meet you, Lady Leigh, and I hope that we can become good friends!"

"I hope so too," I said sincerely. I liked Xiao. She was..._normal_. To me anyway. She didn't worry about etiquette and whatnot.

Xun and I said good night to Xiao and then I followed the young general as he led the way to my room. It was quite a ways down from Xiao's. That's when I remembered something that Xun had said earlier that day.

"Um..my lord?"

"Yes, Lady Leigh?"

"Um..I was just wondering about something you told me. Earlier today you said that the generals were housed in separate buildings. But, how come the ladies Xiao and Da live in the palace? Well, Lady Da is married to Lord Ce, so I guess that answers half of my question.." I trailed off, halting my idiotic rant.

Xun chuckled. "The Lady Xiao is married to Lord Yu. Both were married around the same time as Lord Ce and the Lady Da. Lord Yu is very close to Lord Ce, they are like brothers. So, the Emperor invited Lord Yu to reside in the castle. And that would naturally mean that Lady Xiao would be permitted to stay here as well."

"Oh."

We walked the rest of the way in silence. It was quite awkward. When we reached my room, Xun opened the door and held it for me. Someone had previously been there. There were numerous lanterns lit, and the bed was made up with new sheets and fluffy pillows that looked oh so comfortable. I looked longingly at those pillows.

"This is all courtesy of my lord Emperor," Xun said quietly.

I just nodded. My eyes were fixed on that bed. Soft, warm, _comfortable _bed.

"Good night, my lady," Xun said, tearing my attention away from the inviting prospect of sleep. He was looking at me funny again. I looked down at my pink slippers, that stupid blush that seriously needs to burn somewhere unpleasant creeping onto my face.

"Thank you for everything, Lord Xun."

He bowed low, making my blush deepen, and then walked out of the room, closing the door lightly behind him. I walked over to the bed and plopped down onto it. God, it was so soft. I shut my eyes and thought about the all that had happened today. So far, being in another world hand't been totally bad. I mean, apart from almost being chopped up by a bunch of Scary Men With Sharp Items. What if this was a dream? And that when I woke up I was back in my bed, safe and sound in my boring old life. Where no one cared what I did or who I was. But what if I was still here when I woke up?

Well, first things first. I was going to get this make-up off of my face. No way was I taking the risk of waking up with a pizza face in a world full of hot warrior men.

* * *

I hope you all liked it! What will happen to Leigh on her second day in DW? You'll just have to wait and see!!

Umi


	6. Author's Message

Heyloooo!! I know I haven't updated in centuries, but my mummified body was just recently found and I have been fully resurrected in order to complete my stories for public enjoyment. I won't be like Speedy Gonzalas or anything, with these updates, but I will be updating. Mainly "Sticks and Stones" and "30 Seconds to Game Over," as they are my most popular and I still get reviews on them. "Sticks and Stones" however will be revised and re-posted. I have new ideas for it and wish for it to be written a little differently. Don't worry, though! It will be up and readable soon! Sorry for this extended wait, but I am BACK! X333

Umi-chan 3


End file.
